Adjustable coil spring support for upholstered furniture



July 18, 1967 A. ESPOSITO 3,331,573

ADJUSTABLE COIL SPRING SUPPORT FOR UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE Filed June 23,1966 F 1G. I;

W0 FIG. 2.

INVENTOR W BYW. mm

mm mm.

AJ'TORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,331,578 ADJUSTABLE COIL SPRING SUPPORT FORUPI-IOLSTERED FURNITURE Anthony Esposito, Bridgeview Apartments, LinwoodAve., Fort Lee, NJ. 07024 Filed June 23, 1966, Ser. No. 559,819 11Claims. (Cl. 24S399) This invention relates to means for supporting thebottom springs of an overstuffed piece of furniture, and more especiallyto apparatus that can be added to a finished chair to strengthen it, orto restore sagging springs to their original positions.

It is a common experience of owners of overstuffed furniture to have thewebbing stretch or break loose so that the bottom springs of a chair orsofa sag and fail to support the seat cushions at the intendedlocations. Repairs are expensive and can be made properly only bysomeone with special skill in upholstery work.

It is an object of this invention to provide supporting means that canbe added to a piece of upholstered furniture to support springs thathave sa gged because of some failure of the original webbing, and thatcan be added by anyone without dismantling and furniture. The inventioncan be added to a new chair or sofa so as to prevent subsequent saggingof the bottom springs or failure of the webbing.

Another object is to provide supporting means of the character indicatedwith connections to the furniture in position to keep all of the addedstructure close to the bottom of the furniture and inward from the sidesof the furniture so that it is not visible to anyone in viewing thefurniture from ordinary eye level.

The supporting means of this invention are kept close to the bottom ofthe furniture by limiting the vertical extent of the structure; and thisis done by using beams to support the bottom springs instead of trussrods or other tension elements that have to extend through a substantialvertical distance in order to get angular positions for the tension onwhich such devices rely for their operation.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear orbe pointed out as the description proceeds.

In the drawing, forming a part hereof, in which like referencecharacters indicate corresponding parts in all the views:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic front elevation, partly broken away, showingan upholstered chair to which this invention has been applied;

FIGURE 2 is a greatly enlarged sectional view taken on the line 22 ofFIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged detail view of a part of the center hub of thesupporting means shown in FIGURES 1 and 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged, exploded view of a portion of the structureshown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a greatly enlarged sectional view taken on the line 55 ofFIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged detail view of one of the corner brackets shownin FIGURES 2 and 5;

FIGURE 7 is a bottom view of a sofa equipped with the supporting meansof this invention; and

FIGURE 8 is a greatly enlarged detail view of one of the brackets shownin FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 1 shows an overstuffed chair 10 having a back 12, arms 14 and aseat 16. The chair 10 has legs 18 and it has the seat supported bysprings 20 which rest, at their lower ends, on webbing 22 extendingbetween frame elements 24 of the chair.

In service, the greatest strain and wear comes on the springs 20 whichare nearest to the center of the seat 16 and it is these springs whichsag as a result of stretching or breaking of the web 22. The presentinvention provides a plate 26 which contacts with the underside of thechair bottom below the webbing and the springs 20. In the constructionillustrated, the plate 26 is rectangular and substantially square, butother shapes can be used. It is advantageous to have the shape of theplate 26 approximately similar to that of the chair bottom so that it isspaced a substantially equal distance from all sides of the chair, butembodiments of the invention made for universal application tooverstuffed chairs generally have the plate 26 shaped to the ideal foran average chair. The assembly has some resiliency that permits limitedvertical movement of the plate 26 when a person sits in the chair.

The plate 26 is supported by two beams 32 and 34 extending across thebottom of the chair and in angular relation to one another. These beams32 and 34 are approximately at right angles to one another but arepreferably slightly greater or less than right angles, as will beexplained, to accommodate the variation in the width of the chair as theseat becomes wider toward the front.

Each of the beams 32 and 34 is of composite construction. The beam 32includes a tubular section 36 which is preferably round throughout mostof its length with a flattened end portion 38. A reduced-diametersection 40 fits into the tubular section 36 with a telescopic fit, andthere is preferably a set screw '42 for preventing axial movement of thereduced-diameter section 40 with respect to the tubular section 36.

A center hub 44 has a socket 46 (FIGURE 5) into which thereduced-diameter section 40 extends, and this center hub 44 forms a partof the composite beam 32. On the other side of the center hub 44, thebeam 32 has another reduced-diameter section 40 which extends into asocket 46' in the center hub 44. Another tubular section 36 fits overthe reduced-diameter section 40 and has a flattened end 38', similar tothe end 38, previously described.

All of these structural elements of the beam 32, i.e., the sections 36,40, 36' and 40, and the center hub 44, are stifi enough to resist anypermanent deformation, and are preferably stiff enough to resist anysubstantial bending when subjected to the loads that they encounter whenin use. The lengths of the ends of the reduced-diameter sections 40 and46', which extend into the tubular sections 36 and 36 and into thesockets 46 and 46, are long enough to provide a rigid construction forthe beam; and the wall thickness of the reduced-diameter sections 40 and40 are preferably greater than those of the tubular sections 36 and 36so as to compensate for the reduced diameter.

The bear 32 is connected with the frame 24 by brackets 50. Each ofthesebrackets 50 has two legs 52 and 54, best shown in FIGURE 6, which aresubstantially normal to one another. Throughout most of their length,the legs 52 and 54 are reinforced by ribs 56, and there are openings 58at the far ends of the legs 52 and 54 for connecting the bracket 50 tothe frame 24 (FIGURE 2) by means of screws 60. Each of the brackets 50is of rigid construction. By locating the screws 6!) in differentelements of the frame 24 on opposite sides of a line 62 where the frameelements meet at a corner, the bracket 50 serves to reinforce the cornerof the frame and to prevent the frame elements from coming apart attheir line of juncture 62.

There is an opening 66 (FIGURE 6) in each of the brackets 54 forreceiving bolts to connect the bracket with the beams and the opening 66is preferably a slot and is preferably curved about a center which lieson a line 62' which is an extension of the line 62, when the bracket isconnected with the frame of the chair at the intended location. However,in order to prevent the positioning contains the sockets 46 and 46. Atthe center of the hub 44, there is a screw 76 which extends through thecenter hubs in a vertical direction and which has threads in the upperpart of the hub 44. A fiange 78 on the end of the screw 76 bears againstthe plate 26. Rotation of the screw 76 in one direction raises the plate76 with respect to the center hub 44, and rotation in the otherdirection lowers the plate 26.

The center hub 44 is preferably made with the sockets 46, 46', 72 and72' tapered in a horizontal plane so as to allow for furtheraccommodation of the beams to chairs of somewhat different size.Referring particularly to FIG- URE 3, the angle between the sockets 46and 72 is slightly greater than 90 since these are the sockets which areintended to face forward toward the front of the chair where the frameordinarily becomes wider. The angle between the sockets 46 and 72' isslightly less than 90 since these are the sockets which are intended toface rearwardly when the invention is installed on a chair. In theconstruction illustrated, the longitudinal axis of the socket 46 makes aright angle with the longitudinal axis of the socket 72' and the same istrue of the longitudinal axes of the sockets 72 and 46. To obtaingreater accommodation, however, all of these sockets shown in FIGURE 3are tapered to a larger diameter as they extend away from the middle ofthe center hub 44, and the width of each socket toward the small end ofthe taper is equal to the width of the tubular section of the beam whichfits into the socket so that the beam can move angularly in the socketto give the beams an angular relation to one another which is larger orsmaller than the angular relation of the sockets to one another.

Referring to FIGURE 5, however, it will be apparent that the sockets 46and 46 do not have a taper in a vertical plane. Thus while the beamsections 40 and 40' can move angularly in the sockets 46 and 46,respectively, in a horizontal direction, they can not move angularly ina vertical plane. The same is true of the sockets 72 and 72'. Thisconstruction gives the beams stiffness in the direction in which theyare loaded while providing for some freedom of movement to accommodatethe structure to a wider variety of chair shapes.

The angle between the sockets 46 and 72 is preferably between about 95and 100 and the angle between the sockets 72 and 46' is preferablybetween about 80 and 85. These values are given by way of illustration.It will be evident that when the invention is made for a particularmodel of chair, or for a narrowly limited range of chair sizes, thetapered sockets in the center hub 44 are not required.

In order to facilitate the manufacture and assembly of the invention,the center hub 44 is preferably made in two parts, as best shown inFIGURE 4. These parts include an upper half 82 and a lower half 84. Inorder to obtain proper registry of these halves with one another, thereare projections 86 confronting corresponding depressions on theconfronting faces of the other part. Each of the parts 82 and 84 haslugs 88 with holes for receiving bolts 90 by which the parts of thecenter hub are held in assembled relation. The invention can beconstructed so that the beam sections which fit into the center hubsockets are clamped in the sockets when the bolts 90 are tightened. Thisobtains the most rigid construction. The invention can also be made,however, with the tubular sections of the beams fitting into the centerhub sockets with a free sliding fit since they.

can not move out of the sockets after the beams are connected to thebrackets 50 by bolts 94 extending through the flattened ends of thebeams and through the openings in the brackets 50.

The construction shown in FIGURE 2, with the beams 32 and 34 extendingdiagonally across the bottom of the chair, is preferred because thisconnects the beams to the chair frame near the legs of the chair anddoes not localize stress on portions of the frame 24 mid way between thelegs. Also the brackets 50 serve to brace the corners when attached asin FIGURE 2, as previously explained.

The invention can be applied to upholstered furniture by bracketslocated at regions remote from the furniture legs and it is advantageousto apply the invention in such a way when used on a sofa.

FIGURE 7 shows the invention applied to a sofa 100 having a frame withside elements 102' and longitudinally extending elements 184. Brackets198 are connected to the side elements 182 at locations midway betweenlegs 110 of the sofa, and similar brackets 103 are attached I to thelongitudinally extending frame members 104 at locations which arepreferably equally spaced along the length of the sofa.

One of the brackets 103 is shown in detail in FIGURE 8. It has areinforcing rib 112 and two openings 114 for receiving screws forsecuring the bracket to the frame of. the furniture. At the other end ofthe bracket 108, there is a slot 116 for receiving a bolt which connectsthe bracket with the beams of the supporting means that extend acrossthe bottom of the sofa.

FIGURE 7 shows the brackets 108 attached to the 7 frame of the sofa byscrews 120 and attached to the beams of the supporting mechanism bybolts 94. The supporting mechanism is the same as that already describedfor the chairs of FIGURE 1 and cor-responding parts are indicated by thesame reference characters with a letter a appended. Because of thegreater length of the sofa, there are two plates 26a, and the inventioncan'be applied to a long sofa with more than two plates 26a. Thestructure shown in FIGURE 7 has as many beams 32:: as there are plates26a, but has only one beam 34a. This latter beam is of compositeconstruction and includes more sections and center hubs than in a chairin order to accommodate for the increased length of the area acrosswhich the supporting means is required to extend.

The preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated anddescribed, but changes and modifications can be made and some featurescan be used in different the beams being in angular relation to oneanother and crossing at a mid region of said bottom, brackets at bothends of both beams connecting the ends of the beams to the frame of thefurniture, and connections between the beams and the brackets adjustableangularly in a horizontal plane, whereby the supporting means issuitable for use with pieces of furniture having frames of differentshape.

2. The combination described in claim 1 characterized by the beams beingof composite construction and each having a mid portion that isconnected with the mid portion of. the other beam.

3. The combination described in claim 2 characterized by the connectionat the mid portions of the beams being a center hub with sockets, andparts of the beams beyond the center hub being stiff elements thatproject into the sockets for providing a composite structure withstifiness in a vertical direction for supporting the plate.

4. The combination described in claim 3 characterized by the center hubhaving four sockets that are in approxi mately right-angular relation toone another about a vertical axis but with two of the sockets that areintended to face rearwardly on the furniture at an angle somewhat lessthan 90 to one another, and two of the sockets that are intended to faceforwardly at an angle somewhat greater than 90 to one another.

5. The combination described in claim 3 characterized by the socketshaving a height substantially equal to the height of the ends of thebeams that fit into said sockets, but the sockets having horizontalWidths somewhat greater than the width of the parts of the :beams thatfit into them whereby the beams are angularly adjustable with respect toone another in a horizontal plane to accommodate the supporting means tofurniture of varying width from front to back.

6. The combination described in claim 3 characterized by the beams beingof round tubular section throughout a substantial part of the length buthaving sections of reduced outside diameter and greater structuralthickness at the ends which project into the sockets.

7. The combination described in claim 6 characterized by the sections ofreduced diameter being solid rods that extend into the tubular sectionsat one end and into the sockets at the other end, and means forpreventing axial movement of the rods with respect to the tubularsections.

8. The combination described in claim 3 characterized by the supportingmeans having some resiliency that permits limited vertical movement ofthe plate when a person sits on the seat, and screw means connected withthe center hub and extending upwardly into contact with the plate, thescrew means being vertically adjustable to move the plate up and downwith respect to the beams.

9. The combination described in claim 3 characterized by the hub socketsbeing tapered in a horizontal plane and the hub being divided into upperand lower parts along a horizontal plane through the sockets at theirmaximum widths, and fastening means holding the parts of the hub inassembled relation to one another.

10. The combination described in claim 3 characterized by each of thebrackets having two legs generally normal to one another and connectedto the frame of the chair at opposite sides of frame elements that arejoined at a corner of the chair, each of the brackets having a slotopening therein, and fastening means for connecting the beams with thebrackets including screw means extending through the slots and throughflattened ends of the beams.

11. The combination described in claim 10 characterized by each bracket.being a rigid element and serving as a brace for holding the elementsat the corners of the frame together, and the slot in each bracket beingcurved throughout at least a part of its length about a center locatedapproximately on the line of meeting of the elements at the corner ofthe frame, the screw means being a bolt.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 384,259 6/1888 Johnson 5263 X564,744 7/1896 Fortney 267- X 1,697,082 1/1929 Pallenberg 248-3992,132,291 10/1938 Fitos 248-399 3,249,233 5/1966 Marcus et a1 211172 XFOREIGN PATENTS 462,434 1/ 1950 Canada.

23,574 1914 Great Britain.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner. CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Examiner. R.P. SEI'ITER, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN AN OVERSTUFFED PIECE OF FURNITURE OF THE CLASS HAVING A FRAME, ASEAT, AND A BOTTOM WITH SPRINGS FOR SUPPORTING THE SEAT, THE COMBINATIONWITH SAID FRAME AND SPRINGS OF SUPPORTING MEANS INCLUDING A PLATE OFSUBSTANTIAL AREA IN CONTACT WITH THE BOTTOM BELOW THE SPRINGS THEREOF,TWO STIFF BEAMS EXTENDING ACROSS THE BOTTOM OF THE FURNITURE UNDER THEPLATE AND SUPPORTING THE PLATE, THE BEAMS BEING IN ANGULAR RELATION TOONE ANOTHER AND CROSSING AT A MID REGION OF SAID BOTTOM, BRACKETS ATBOTH ENDS OF BOTH BEAMS CONNECTING THE ENDS OF THE BEAMS TO THE FRAME OFTHE FURNITURE, AND CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE BEAMS AND THE BRACKETSADJUSTABLE ANGULARLY IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE, WHEREBY THE SUPPORTING MEANSIS SUITABLE FOR USE WITH PIECES OF FURNITURE HAVING FRAMES OF DIFFERENTSHAPE.